Improvement in corn-planters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LYMAN J. OORBI N, OF WINNEBAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-PLANT ERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 180,702, dated August8, 1876 application filed August 21,1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LYMAN J. GoRBrN, of Winnebago, in the county ofWinnebago and State of Illinois, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Corn-Planters; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings and to the letters of referencemarked thereon.

, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved corn-planter. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal section of the forward part of the machine,

. showing the seed-box,- the rotating bills, seedtube, and runner insection; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the jaws for pickingupthe corn, showing the cheek-pieces, which, with portions of the jaw,form the pocket for retaining the seed until the same is deposited inthe seed-tube.

Similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all thefigures. Z The invention has for its object the improvement of thatclass of corn-planters on which a patent was granted to me January 13,187 1, No. 146,321; and consists in an improved construction of the jawsor bills by which the corn is picked up, one kernel to each grasp of thejaw, and carried until released and 'deposited within the seed-tube, aswas fully described in my former patent, above mentioned; but in thesaid patent the improvement made by the addition of side or cheekpieces, by which a pocket is formed, was not shown, explained, orclaimed, but is shown in Fig. 3 in this application. This feature willbe hereinafter explained. It further consists in the construction andarrangement of the wheel and runner-frames, whereby the depth of thefurrow may be gaged without interfering with the dropping or picking-updevices, all of which will be hereinafter explained.

In the drawings, A represents the two side beams of the frame, restingupon the drivingaxle at the rear end, and hinged to the crossbar 0 atthe forward end, and upon which are mounted the seed-boxes and theseed-distribu- 'ting wheels. A A and A are the rear,

front, and center cross-bars, these composing the main frame of themachine. B B represent the driving and carrying wheels, the one B beingmounted loosely on the axle, for facilitating the turning of themachine, while the one B is keyed or otherwise secured to the said axlefor drivingthe pulley thereon.

The side beams A extend forward of the cross-bar A and are hinged attheir forward ends to the cross-bar O, and to which,also, the forwardends of the runners or furrow-openers are secured, the rear ends of thesaid runners being connected together by a wider crosse bar, 0 locateddirectly underneath the seedboxes, which, in connection with therunners, form the forward or runner frame.

b b are diagonal braces, secured at their forward ends to the bar 0, attheir longitudinal centers with bar 0 and are at their converging orrear ends united together by the crossbar b. To this bar b is hinged, byan eyebolt connection, an, upright rod, 0, having perforations at itsupper end for the purpose of making a vertically-adjustable connectionwith the elbow-lifting lever D. This lever D is, at the elbow joint,pivoted to circular-shaped braces, running from the seat-plank to theforward vertical post a and by means of which, in connection with thelever-locking dog on the top of said seat-plank, the runners may beheldin any desired position vertically within the scope or throw of the saidraising-lever, and thus enabling the driver at his will to raise therunners sufficiently high to clear the ground when turning the teamaround, or when transporting the machine from field to field, or fromone part of the field to another part of the same. I

About midway of the length of the center cross-bar A and the rearcross-bar A, upright standards a a are secured, upon which is mountedthe seat-plank, having the drivers seat thereon. Near the forward end ofthe said seat-plank a slot is made, and within the same,'through whichpasses the lifting-lever D, within reach of the driver, by which, fromhis seat, he can raise and lower the runnerframe, as may be desired. Eare seed-boxes,

mounted upon the beams A, and at ends of the bar A Within theseseed-boxes, and at their rear ends,- are transverse PQIIUtlOII-PIGGGSductor-tube in the heel end of the runner. E is a shaft, lying parallelwith and above the 'bar A and mounted in hearings in the seatboxes. Thisshaft extends intothe seed-boxes to about their centers, and upon theends are mounted disks E having, portions cut away in the circumference,so as to form arms or or spokes, upon the ends of which areplacedspring-jaws 6 e It is obvious that these disks may be made Withoutcutting away the portions between the arms, and, if desired, the saiddisks may be full to the extreme periphery, or in any manner so that theoperation of the springjaws may not be-interfered with.

To the upper part of the jaws, designated 0 are attached lips orcheek-pieces e The said cheek-pieces may, however, be attached to theunder portion of the jaw, and not depart from the spirit of theinvention. As these cheekpieces perform an important mission in thepicking up and retaining the seed until the time for depositing the samewithin the receptacle from which the seed is carried to the ground anddischarged within the earth, they will now bemore fully described.

In my former patent, before mentioned, these cheek-pieceswere not shown,(ears for forming the hinges only being used,) and in the practical useit was found that the kernel of corn, after having been caught in thehills, and, W'h'il'erpassin'gthrough the mass of grain, was extremelyliable to become displaced lat erally, as it"will be observed the kernelis caught when the bill first enters the seed, and must'b'e carriedthrough the mass in the line of the'revolution of the jaws; hencenecessitating the protection afforded by the said cheek-pieces, and bymeans of which a'pocket is formed when thejaws :are open,but none whenthe jawsare empty and a closed. With these cheek-pieces the seed canonlybe discharged from the mouthof the jaws, andlat era'l displacementprevented, and the correct and timely delivery of the grain assured. Theupper portion of the'jaw 6 also extends back 'a't'an angle of abouttorty-five'degrees to the face extension, and" to' the heel end of thesame'is' placed as'prin'g, to hold the forward ends of the jawstogether.

It will'be seen'that, by this arrangement of jaws above described,asithe diskor spider E revolves, and the rear end of the portionof thejaw e comes'incontact with the's'eed in the box, the jaw, by this rearextension striking'o'r pressing a gainst'the seed, will'cause thepocketed mouth to open and receive a single grain of corn, and thespring'will hold the same, by the closing of the said mouth, until thefunnel or place of deposit is reached, when the tripper, for thatpurpose provided, will, by pressing the extension.- piece, cause themouth to open and discharge the seed, after which the spring acts uponthe jaw, causing it to close until again opened by the rotation ormovement before set forth.

To the bar which supports the rear end of the runner is secured aconductor or tube, F, which extends up and around the funnel in theseed-box, also down through the heel end of the shoe, for conducting thegrain to the ground.

G is a slide or dropper, which is connected to the bar 0 by loops orstaples, und'er'which it slides.

The slide is operated by means of two levers pivoted to it, and passingup through two planks connected to the frame for holding the levers inplace,and between these two-levers the operators seat is located. Theoperator is enabled by these levers to plant any number of kernels ofcorn in a hill, by operating the valve at one or more revolutions of thedisks or spiders. Or by removing the valve the corn may be dropped intothe seed-tube directly as received from each pocketed mouth of thepicker or jaws. The slide may beoperated automatically by the spider orpickershaft, if desired.

The wheel B" is keyed to the axle, and upon the axle; is also keyed aband-wheel or pulley,

H, from which motion is communicated to the second band-wheel or pulleyH feathered upon theshaft E which drives the-pickerwheels.

The band-wheel H is provided with aclutch having lugs or teeth on. itsside face, which mesh into corresponding indents made in-a collar, 71.,which is keyed to the shaft E, the two being held in mesh by spring d,and held out of mesh by means of a lever, H connected with theband-wheel H through a grooved collar formed on said wheel.

The lever H is pivotedito the frame, and extends back to within reach ofthe drivers foot, so that he is enabled to throw the-shaft out of gearfrom-the driving-wheel, and thus control the movements of thepicker-wheels E.

I is the tongue connected to the forward cross-bar G of therunner-frame, and which extends back and is secured between two uprightlugs or cars mounted on the rearbar of the runner-frame. These lugs orcars are perforated, and by means of a pin passing through the lugs, andthrough a perforation in the rear end ofthe tongue, the said tongue maybe vertically adjusted, as desired.

Under the lower face of the rear frame-bar A and mountedon bracketssecured thereto,

are two arms, one at each end of said bar, and connected thereto arescrapers K, by means of which the driver may clean the rimof thecarrying-wheels when desired.

Having now described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let- This specification signed and witnessed this ters Patent,is lstday of August, 1874.

In a corn-planter adapted to grasp and re-.

tain one kernel of seed in each grasping-jaw, LYMAN J. OORBIN. thecheek-pieces 0 attached to spring-jaws, as p v described, whereby, ,whenopen, a pocket is Witnesses:

formed, for the prevention of lateral displace- W. H. WILCOX,

ment, substantially as described, and for the G. W. FORD.

purpose set forth.

